From the monthly archives:

January 2009

Well Duh!

by Wretha on January 25, 2009 · 14 comments

in EVENTS, FOOD, SELF-SUFFICIENCY, WRETHA

It seems that "someone" is trying to prove that free range chickens are no better or possibly worse than caged chickens.

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Peak water

January 22, 2009
Peak water

Do we need it? The era of cheap water is nearly over says a report by the Pacific Institute in California. A swelling global population, changing diets and mankind's expanding "water footprint"  have led ecologists to forecast "peak ecological water" — the point where, like the concept of "peak oil", the world has to confront a natural limit on something once considered virtually infinite.

Off-gridders have to look at their water supply, and ask "is it really secure?"

The world is in danger of running out of "sustainably managed water", according to Peter Gleick, Pacific Institute president and a leading authority on global freshwater resources.

A key element to tackling the crisis, say experts, is to

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Energy plan

January 21, 2009
Energy plan

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He can, but will he? “The world has changed; America must change with it,” says the new President. But will the new administration change its existing environmental  pledges, or stick to their promised policies?

The stated policy is as follows.

? Help create 5 million new jobs by investing $150 billion over 10 years in clean energy initiatives

? Increase the nation's use of electricity from renewable sources to 10 percent of our total use by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025

? Institute a national cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

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Eco-hotels in Canada

January 20, 2009
Eco-hotels in Canada

Siwash - generator backup The Siwash Lake Ranch is truly off-grid.  Its  a luxury dude ranch outside Kamloops, B.C where Allyson Rogers, the ranch's co-owner, walks guests through basics such as dealing with trash, recycling and composting. And with the guests onboard (the ranch can host two or three families at a time), Siwash Lake puts out one bag of garbage – every month.

Siwash Lake is one of the most eco-friendly destinations in Canada,

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Travel Trailer/Redneck Games pt 1

January 20, 2009
Travel Trailer/Redneck Games pt 1

It took 3 days, lots of sweat, nerves of steel, and a lot of that Archimedes factor to get a small travel trailer from one side of the creek to the other. Should be easy... that's what I thought!

»Keep reading 'Travel Trailer/Redneck Games pt 1'

Off-Grid house poised to win X-prize

January 20, 2009
Off-Grid house poised to win X-prize

The X PRIZE Foundation is set to award its prestigious first prize to an off-grid home design  in a much-hyped competition. The winner will receive a $25,000 check on Thursday, February 5th. Finalists are: -- Alan Silva, from Roy, UT: "The Energy Independence X PRIZE" A prize to develop energy-independent homes that exist completely off the grid.

»Keep reading 'Off-Grid house poised to win X-prize'

Why I am a Flexitarian

January 16, 2009
Why I am a Flexitarian

Eating With a Purpose

I am a Flexitarian- that means I am a vegetarian who eats fish and meat ...sometimes.

Yes, I know, you can call me a fish and chipocryte, but actually I am better and more rational than you think.  Because I recognize what many other vegetarians do not -- namely that I am a veggie in a meaty world.

Growing up in the Midwest it was unusual not to be a big meat eater.

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100% Efficient Wood Stove (or gas furnace) ! ! !

January 15, 2009
100% Efficient Wood Stove (or gas furnace) ! ! !

Now I am not here to argue what the word efficiency means, I am simply talking about capturing 100% of whatever heat is generated through combustion such that the exhaust is cooled down below average room temperature before departing.

Here is how simple it can be.

Use a blower fan to produce a forced draft and draw your exhaust through a series of heat exchangers (could be as simple as 55 gallon steel drums filled with brick pieces or large gravel). Each “container” would be filled with smaller sized pieces and the last one or two would be filled with sand. It is even possible to use wet sand to more quickly and effectively capture the last remaining heat as long ...

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Survivalist shopping list

January 14, 2009
Survivalist shopping list

Sterligov and family - off-grid Gene Lange works at a hedge fund in New York and, wary of the erratic behaviour of his colleagues as the credit crunch develops, he is battening down the hatches. He's stacked his basement with canned food, bottled water, and a decent supply of washable nappies for his baby. He's fixing his car up so it'll run off-road - and he's taking good care of his collection of guns.

Gene's not saying a rabble of crazy stockbrokers is going to come round to his house and try to bludgeon him to death with his own wind-up torch so they can get at his baked beans. He's just saying, "I don't think it necessarily makes a guy crazy to prepare for the potential worst-case scenario."

»Keep reading 'Survivalist shopping list'

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